my life in the air empanada envy closeups · 2020. 2. 2. · my life in the air frank g. shimizu...

My life in the airFrank G. Shimizu Jr.

Empanada envyRoad trip to Bogotá

CloseupsMeet the neighbors

Summer 2016

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MBJ Life161 US Army Juan C. Fejeran St.Barrigada Heights, Guam 96913

1 Summer 2016 MBJ Life

ON THE COVERFrank G. Shimizu Jr. with Dragon Lady, his 1968 Cessna Skymaster 327 C in Tiyan, Guam.

Photo by Justin Green

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CLOSEUPSMeet the neighbors

MBJ IMAGESFirst impressions

MY LIFEIn the air

ROAD TRIPBogotá, Colombia

GOING UP & GOING DOWNTrends in food and drink

MBJ HELP DESKWords of wisdom

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24Glimpses Publications include:

Marianas Business Journal • MBJ Life • R&R Pacific Guam Business Magazine • Beach Road Magazine

A companion publication to

PUBLISHERMaureen N. Maratita

MANAGING EDITORJackie Hanson

ASSISTANT EDITORJoy White

REPORTERLara Ozaki

PRODUCTION SUPERVISORRosanna Dacanay

ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONVikki Fong

Conrad CalmaKeisha Gozum

SALES MANAGERAnnie San Nicolas

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGERSBen Estavillo

Melanie San NicolasEvelyn Sanchez

Matthew Arevalo

MANAGING DIRECTORMarcos W. Fong

MBJ Life, Volume 1, Issue 1 — Summer 2016. Entire

contents copyrighted 2016 by Glimpses of Guam Inc.

MBJ Life is published quarterly by Glimpses of Guam

Inc. 161 US Army Juan C. Fejeran St., Barrigada Heights,

Guam 96913. (671) 649-0883; Fax (671) 649-8883.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MBJ Life, P.O. Box

3191, Hagåtña, Guam 96932. Send e-mail to glimpses@

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without written permission from the publisher. Printed

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234-1801. Send e-mail to subscriptions@glimpsesof-

guam.com.

2 MBJ Life Summer 2016

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Part of the reason the busiest people in our community work so hard is so they can live in the

neighborhood of their choosing and create a home environment customized to their per-sonal comfort and tastes.

But there is one aspect of residential liv-ing that no one can control: neighbors. No one can handpick the people who pull into the driveway next to yours based on their noise level or whether they paint their house purple and sunset orange, but sometimes you get lucky. You might end up living next

door to the kind of person who can help you fix your car or will BBQ with you after the ty-phoon passes or just has a kind word when they see you.

And in some cases, these friendly faces show up in more places than just next door — at Chamber of Commerce functions, social mixers and business meetings.

MBJ Life took a seat on the couch, at the breakfast table and on the patio with several sets of neighbors who are acquaintances not only over the fence, but in the working world as well.

Neighbors in Tumon

James S. Herbert IIIGeneral manager, Triple J Five Star Wholesale Foods Inc.Neighborhood resident since 2002

MBJ: How often do you see your neighbors?Jim Herbert: At least once a week. We actu-ally see each other more often at functions, Chamber meetings and galas.

MBJ: Why did you decide to live here?Jim Herbert: This building is safe, quiet and secure. It’s convenient — I love the beach and spend a lot of time in hotels.

MBJ: Do you ever borrow anything from your neighbors?Jim Herbert: When [Ronald E. Cannoles] was with Bank of Hawaii, I used to borrow a lot of money from him.Ron Cannoles: I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that…

MBJ: What qualities do you hope to find in your neighbors?Jim Herbert: A nice person. I think a good neighbor is somebody who you can get along with, count on if you need anything, help them if they need help and respects your privacy.

MBJ: Why did you decide to live in this area?Jim Moylan: It’s perfect. We take walks to the beach with food. Got the fins and the snorkel — it’s very nice. If you want it loud, go down a few steps; if you want it quiet, come back up.

MBJ: Do you have any pet peeves about your neighbors?Jim Moylan: When they ask me to wash their car. But I always tell them, “No, be-cause it’s going to rain soon.”

James MoylanManager, NetCare Life & Health InsuranceNeighborhood resident for two years

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Photos by Norman Taruc


(Top, left to right) Tumon neighbors Ronald E. Cannoles, James S. Herbert, James Moylan, Waen “Lek” Trombetta and Marriann Cannoles take selfies on a Saturday afternoon.

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Waen “Mama Lek” TrombettaOwner and executive chef, Ban Thai RestaurantNeighborhood resident since 2002

MBJ: Why did you decide to live in this area?Lek Trombetta: Because it’s close to work. The restaurant is just across the street. I can come home, take a nap and go back.

MBJ: Do you ever do anything friendly for your neighbors?Lek Trombetta: I have a special dish, miang kham, I make for them. It has dried shrimp, peanuts, lime, coconut, ginger, shallots, rolled in a special leaf. Ron Cannoles: Like a little Thai taco.Jim Moylan: It goes great with beer. It’s a great chaser.

MBJ: Do you have any residential pet peeves?Lek Trombetta: I used to have a neighbor who was renting and he made a lot of noise, but he left. You don’t know who is going to be your neighbor, but it’s better to have owners than renters […].

MBJ: How often do you see your neighbors?Ron Cannoles: At least three times a month.

MBJ: Do you ever borrow anything from each other?Ron Cannoles: I borrow Jim [Herbert’s] parking spot.

MBJ: Who are the worst neighbors you have ever had?Marriann Cannoles: At our old place, we would entertain a lot for Bank of Hawaii, and the military neighbors would run out-side stark naked, flashing us.

MBJ: Why did you decide to live in this area?Ron Cannoles: We moved in because of Jim [Herbert]. Really, it’s the best village on island — so convenient. The beach is right there, all the hotels and their amenities are right there. I walk the beach all the time. Marriann Cannoles: This neighborhood is really nice, and we always end up at the same restaurant [as our neighbors].

Ronald E. and Marriann CannolesDirector, operations and control, Mid-Pacific Division, DFS Guam LPNeighborhood residents for 10 months

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MBJ: Who comes to your door most often?Anna Van Seters: The kids knock on our door all the time to play with [our 4-year-old shih tzu] Bella and [8-year old shih tzu] Oscar.

MBJ: Why did you decide to live in this neighborhood?Anna Van Seters: My husband bought it as an investment property, but we got the corner space by the playground, and when we got our stuff shipped from the states and put in all new appliances, I said, “No, we’ll keep it.”

MBJ: Who watches your dogs when you go away?Anna Van Seters: Tom Higa of Docomo. He has Bella’s mom, so I tell them, “You have to watch your grandkid.”

MBJ: Do you have any neighborhood pet peeves?Anna Van Seters: Only if they don’t take care of their pets.

Neighbors in Yigo

Anna Gera Van SetersArea manager – fleet card and

commercial fuels,South Pacific Petroleum Corp.

Neighborhood resident for one and a half years

{ }“A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence but doesn’t

climb over it.” — Arthur Baer

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MBJ: How has the neighborhood changed since you first moved in?Hank Rice: The residents have, but the neighborhood hasn’t — except the plants have gotten bigger.

MBJ: Do you ever borrow anything from your neighbors?Hank Rice: Just the other day, I called up Anna [Gera Van Seters], “Hey I need to bor-row an ice chest,” and another neighbor, I borrowed their car to go down to Pay-Less to get water.

MBJ: What qualities do you hope to find in your neighbors?Hank Rice: Someone I could give my house key to in case I ever got locked out, some-one I could trust wholeheartedly, someone I could share a glass of wine with after work and BBQ with after the typhoon, which we have done. … You know how everything in your freezer is going to go bad? We had the greatest fiesta. We had oysters, crab, steak. We were drinking beers and Coke, and the kids were running around, and the stars were bright because all the power was out — that was really nice. After a typhoon, peo-ple really come together. That was a time I remember thinking, “I’m glad I live here.”

Henry “Hank” RiceMarketing director,Pink Diamonds Australiaand magic comedy entertainer, Guam Reef & Olive Spa ResortNeighborhood resident for 17 years

Anna Gera Van Seters walks her shih tzus, Bella and Oscar, with her neighbor and business acquaintance Hank Rice and his golden retriev-ers, Missy and Aimi, who are also his magic show dogs.

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MBJ: Why did you choose to live in this neighborhood? Felix Camacho: It’s close to my mother. It’s the premier neighbor-hood on island, and our house is so close to the park.

MBJ: How often do you see your neighbors around here?Joann Camacho: Every day […]. It’s really the kids that bring people out of their houses. Felix Camacho: When I’m out there washing my car or cutting the grass, the kids call me “pop.”

MBJ: How do you help out your neighbors?Joann Camacho: He fixes their bikes. Mostly we help each other, like the kids with their needs.Felix Camacho: We have extra bikes so the kids take those.

MBJ: What qualities do you hope to find in your neighbors?Felix Camacho: Our island is char-acterized by hospitality and respect, and those are the qualities we see in ourselves and look for in others. What makes a community is the people. Everyone respects each oth-er. That personifies Guam and our home.

Neighbors in Tamuning

Former Gov. Felix P. Camacho and Joann G. CamachoConsultant, Rhema Consulting, and director ofmarket development, DFS Group Ltd., respectivelyNeighborhood residents since 2011

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MBJ: Why did you decide to live in this neighborhood?Sudipta Basu: The important reason we moved here is we have good friends who live here and [because it has] security guards. It’s very peaceful. When you come home, there’s no noise.

MBJ: How often do you see your neighbors here?Roma Basu: Every day from 4:30 p.m., al-most everyone is out. All the kids are out, so the parents come out.

MBJ: How often do you see your neighbors out in town?Sudipta Basu: Very often. Some of our neighbors we see every other day, espe-cially when we drop off the kids at school or pick them up.

MBJ: What do you often loan to your neigh-bors?Roma Basu: When the kids come over, they borrow our Wi-Fi.

MBJ: What kinds of things do you borrow from your neighbors?Sudipta Basu: The kids’ toys, I would say — soccer ball or basketball — and we drop it back to the neighbors.

MBJ: Can you think of a time your neigh-bors really helped you out?Roma Basu: We’re not very handy. We bought the kids some bicycles, and our neighbor — he’s an officer — put them to-gether. They’re good people.

MBJ: What qualities do you hope to find in your neighbors?Sudipta Basu: We want somebody with a family who cares, leads a healthy lifestyle, not too many parties — a peaceful family.

Sudipta R. and Roma BasuChief operating officer,

Baldyga GroupNeighborhood residents for

three and a half years

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First impressions: Doors in the Marianas

Devarana Spa at Dusit Thani Guam ResortPhoto by Colin Kirk

A Tamuning residencePhoto by Jackie Hanson

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An ancient Balinese door gifted to Sudipta R. Basu

Photo by Norman Taruc

Red Door Productions at Fiesta Resort GuamPhoto by Colin Kirk

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A secret door to a speakeasy/hidden bar in Rotten

Apple Steampunk RestaurantPhoto by Jennifer M. Stocker

The District Court of GuamPhoto by Jennifer M. Stocker

The Saipan InternationalHouse of Prayer at Sugar King ParkPhoto by Bill Bezzant

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{ }“Every time I fly United, I used to drink beer. Now I stopped drinking in case they ever go on

the intercom and say, ‘Is there a pilot on board?’”— Frank G. Shimizu Jr.

Photos by Justin Green

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13Summer 2016 MBJ Life

Being in the family business of selling Anheuser-Busch prod-ucts is not the only thing that

has the lives of Frank G. Shimizu Jr. and the brand’s fourth and fifth generations of executives — August A. Busch III and IV — flying in sync. The former Anheuser-Busch CEOs and Shimizu, the export manager and third generation of Guam’s family-owned Budweiser distributor, Ambros Inc., share an avid love for aviation.

The Busch family’s use of corporate jets to transport company staff and product has contributed to Shimizu and his brother John G. Shimizu’s lifelong pursuit of their pilot licenses.

“Busch made it faster for me to learn,” Shimizu said. “I always wanted to be a pilot. Flying is my passion.”

Shimizu first started taking flying les-sons at the Naval Air Station when he was 13 years old but was unable to finish certifi-cation until he was in his 50s. “You’re never too old to learn how to fly,” he said.

He and John earned their single-engine private pilot licenses in 2010 at Lloyd Stea-rman Field in Kansas. He remembers their impromptu flight to Oklahoma City, where they celebrated over Mexican food, as one of his favorite flights to date. He later earned his twin-engine rating at The Right Flight School in Hawaii.

While Guam has flying schools of its own, Shimizu prefers to train in Hawaii. “When you’re here on Guam, there’s no time for lessons,” he said.

Shimizu owns the Dragon Lady, a 1968 Cessna Skymaster 327 C, with his brother John and cousin, Charles Cruz. Purchased for $80,000 from a friend in Neosho, Mo., the Dragon Lady had to be taken apart and sent to Guam via cargo ship. With strik-ing camouflage paint, this bird stands out

against the blue sky. While this type of twin-engine, six-

seater plane is often used for medical trans-port and land surveys, Shimizu uses it like a golf cart. With Ambros branches in Saipan, Palau and American Samoa, the company executives often need to travel regionally, and Shimizu has been able to accommo-date that need with the exception of Ameri-can Samoa. Shimizu’s longest flight maxed out the Dragon Lady’s range of 1,100 nauti-cal miles to Palau, with a refueling stop on Yap, but most weekends, he soars around the Mariana Islands.

The plane comes equipped with autopilot, weather radar to detect clouds and thunder and on-board navigation, al-though Shimizu said his iPad’s on-board navigation is much more detailed and high-lights no-fly zones.

“Everyone thinks [private planes are] not safe, but we’re not any less safe than United Airlines,” he said. “You get in, you still have seatbelts and a life vest under the seat.”

My life in the airBy Amanda Pampuro

Flight facts

Flights flown: 50

Flight hours: 150

Plane: Dragon Lady

Aircraft type: 1968 Cessna Skymaster 327 C

Tank size: 128 gallons

Cost to fill tank: $1,408

Purchase price: $80,000

Maximum speed: 60 knots

Maximum distance: 1,100 nautical miles, or to Palau

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close calls. Shimizu recalled having to turn around when approaching Rota due to cloudy weather and another instance where he had to physically pump the landing gear. “I did a low fly-by for [a plane waiting for us to land so it could take off ] to see if the gear was down,” Shimizu said, which it wasn’t. He used the emergency manual pump and upon the second fly-by, the pilot confirmed it looked ready to land. “Flying isn’t hard;

it’s the emergency procedures you need to know,” he said.

When he flies, Shimizu carries a small black backpack, containing an extra radio, Bose noise-canceling headphones with mi-crophone, his flight logbook in a plastic bag, a GPS beeper, customs forms and the iPad.

Shimizu hired mechanic Frank San Nicolas, who spent 38 years with the inter-island airline Freedom Air, to maintain the plane. It’s important to have a good man

on the ground because, like owning a boat, Shimizu admitted the maintenance can be constant.

The Shimizu brothers recently bought two more planes on Saipan in May through an auction from Freedom Air: a four-seater, single-engine 1971 Cessna 172L and a six-seater 1970 Piper P32-300 Cherokee. Being the only bidders, they got the planes “ridic-ulously cheap.”

These days, Shimizu is looking for the time to work toward an instrument flight rating to reach some of his flying goals, which are to fly farther, navigate through clouds and land on Pagan Island’s short runway. Ultimately, he said it’s not a ques-tion of where he wants to fly but what he wants to fly. Two items on his pilot’s buck-et list are to get his 10-day certification in Alaska to fly a seaplane and to fly a 757 or any kind of jet airliner.

“Every time I fly United, I used to drink beer,” Shimizu said. “Now I stopped drink-ing in case they ever go on the intercom and say, ‘Is there a pilot on board?’”

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Empanada envy, street artinspiration and coffee caching

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Frankie M. ElipticoDirector of external relations,Northern Marianas College

Itinerary Day 1: Cable car ride up Monserrate mountain Day 2: Walking street graffiti tour Day 3: Food tour through a public marketDay 4: Exploring the historic neighborhood of La Candelaria and the Museo del Oro, or Gold Museum

Purpose of tripFor pleasure

When I wentOver New Year’s

How I got thereConnecting flights in Seattle and Los Angeles

Why I wentI couldn’t imagine that so many people could fit in one city. Bogotá is home to sev-en million people. It’s one of the biggest cit-ies in the world. So I was kind of drawn to that. The other thing was the food. I really wanted to try the food.

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Who I went withIt was the first time I went by myself to

a foreign country that was far from Saipan.

What I brought with meGoogle Translate. It’s what saved my

life. I rarely found anybody that spoke Eng-lish, and I don’t speak Spanish. Whenever I was trying to converse, I had them speak into my phone, and [the application] would translate it.

What I forgot to takeI underestimated how cold it would be.

I thought it was a tropical area, so I didn’t bring a jacket. But it was very chilly.

What I came back withColombia is known all around the

world for its coffee. I brought home bags and bags of coffee beans.

Where I stayed• La Candelaria, the historic part of the

city with cobblestone streets and only one-

or two-story buildings • La Macarena, a more modern part of

the city with night clubs and upscale shop-ping

My favorite meal Empanadas from various street ven-

dors. They’re about half the size of Guam or Saipan empanadas, and they are deep-fried in front of you. They’re a lot tastier than empanadas in Saipan or Guam. They use more seasoning, meat and spices.

Best photo I took A photo of a couple on a motorcycle

zooming by one of the modern street art murals in Bogotá. Many walls in Bogotá are covered in intricate and elaborate murals designed, drawn, spray painted, or painted by highly talented and skilled artists who are deeply respected and admired in the country. One of the best tours to take in Bo-gotá is a “Graffiti Tour,” which takes you to different prominent street artworks in La Cadelaria, the historic center of Bogotá.

Most interesting person I metOne of most interesting people I met

was a street artist who was featured on the street art tour because he was using his street art as a way to express how he be-lieved the common people were being dis-enfranchised from government programs and services.

What I could have done withoutIn some touristy areas, there were

some aggressive vendors that wanted to sell beads and stuff.

What I’ll never forgetThe view from Monserrate. The city is

in a valley and the mountains surround it. Once you got up there, you can see every-thing. It was just amazing to know I was looking at seven million people. Coming from a small island, I don’t even know what that is. It was just very peaceful, despite all the things going on down below. And I was there during the last sunset of the year. That’s what made it special to me.

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Feeling insecure?Want to know whatthe fashionable folkare eating and, of course,what they’re not?Here’s a quick guide ofwhat’s in and what’s out.


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Words of wisdom from people who have “been there” and “done that”

Gyongyi P. “Pika” FejeranOwner of Pika’s Café and managing partnerof Kitchen LingoAge: 32

“Write down all that you do in your spare time because when you are 32 with a husband, three kids and two businesses, you’ll have forgotten what it was like to be young, wild and free.”

Topher C. BarrettoPresident and principal for Unified CrossFitand Unified Gear Inc.Age: 35

“Probably the biggest thing that I could’ve said to myself when I was 21 was... start NOW. Don’t wait too long so you’re not telling yourself, ‘I should’ve started sooner.’ I don’t wish to change the path I took to get here, but it would’ve been interesting to have started down the path sooner.”

Siska S. HutapeaPresident, Cornerstone Valuation Guam Inc.Age: 45

“Prioritize. Persevere. Save. Give. A lot of things will attract our attention, pulling us in many directions, causing unnecessary stress and burdens. It is important that we concentrate on things that are our callings. ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ is a really good book, and I’ve read it at different stages of my life. Once we identify our purpose, we can prioritize and work hard, persevere. John Maxwell said the only guarantee to failure is to stop trying. Also, it is always good to remember to save. Open a retirement savings account as early as possible. And give. It’s the highest form of living.”

Jay R. SheddPresident and chief operating officer,Sorensen Media GroupAge: 55

“Let go of worrying about what people think, and do what makes you happy. I could have saved a lot of time and anguish if I would have followed that advice.”

What I wish I had told myself at 21 What I wish I had told myself at 31• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

my life in the air empanada envy closeups · 2020. 2. 2. · my life in the air frank g. shimizu...

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